DEKALB – The NIU men's golf team will compete in their second tournament of the fall of 2017 as they host the Northern Intercollegiate at Rich Harvest Farms on Sunday and Monday. The Northern Intercollegiate returns to Rich Harvest Farms in 2017 after last year's tournament was played at Beverly Country Club with Rich Harvest Farms hosting the 2017 NCAA Championships.
 
"With the success of the NCAAs, coming back home to our home at Rich Harvest is amazing," Director of Golf and Head Coach Tom Porten said. "The golf course is in great shape, the Rich family has been very supportive of the return to the Farm and we're really excited to get this tournament underway."
 
NIU welcomes a field that includes Big Ten teams in Purdue, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Virginia, Marquette, Iowa State, Illinois State, Eastern Kentucky, Grand Canyon, Louisiana-Monroe, and Loyola-Maryland. Michigan is the only team that the Huskies have faced off against in their one tournament with the Wolverines finishing tied for third at the Inverness Intercollegiate.
 
"We've always tried to create as much of a national field as possible," Porten said. "With the three teams that were at the NCAA Championships in Virginia, Purdue and Iowa State, it's a very strong top of the field and the field as a whole are all coming off of successful 2016-17 seasons."
 
Last week, the Huskies finished tied for seventh at the Inverness Intercollegiate in Toledo with their top two individuals in Joo-Young Lee (Hillard, Ohio/Xavier) and Jordan Less (Elmhurst, Ill./York) finishing tied for 20^th at even par. Lee and Less return to the NIU lineup along with Thomas DeMarco (Lasalle, Ontario, Canada/Morehead State), Salvador Rocha (Mexico City, Mexico/American School Foundation), and Paul Schlimm (Shorewood, Ill./Saint Francis) finds his way into the lineup this week after competing as an individual last week.
 
"Paul earned his way into the lineup with his play at the Inverness," Porten said. "I think what we have that we've been trying to build since I got here is the depth where we can put someone in our five spot that can go out and shoot a very low number and possibly win the tournament from that position."
 
Matt Cholod (Courtice, Ontario, Canada/Morehead State), Russell Matos (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard South) and Michael Mattas (Streamwood, Ill./St. Edward Central Catholic) will all be competing as individuals for NIU. Teams will tee off at 8:15 a.m. CT on Sunday with a shotgun start as NIU will be paired with Purdue and Virginia starting on holes 1-3.
 
Rich Harvest Farms is a par 72 course with a yardage of 7253 yards with the second round of the tournament to begin shortly after the completion of the first round on Sunday and the final round beginning Monday morning.